Finding Faith ... in wondering what our own personal Magnificats would say

This week's gospel: Luke 1:39-55

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Mary’s Song of Praise

46 And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant. Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name; 50 indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. 54 He has come to the aid of his child Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

How today’s gospel not lift up your heart! … Right? 

The message:

I mean what a beautiful moment between these two expectant mothers that we get the privilege of witnessing!

It is so touching … and it makes my heart smile to think of what these two women may have conversed about during this visit from Mary to Elizabeth.

Remember, we don’t hear it her in these verses but Mary stays with Elizabeth for three months. … So they must have had a number of chances to discuss their upcoming births.

Maybe some of you mothers present today could give us insight into what it is that you share with each other during pregnancy …

Is it your hopes, your fears, your wonderments … What a wonderful exercise for the imagination for us faithful people. 

What did Elizabeth and Mary share all those days together … Whatever it was, it  sounds like it was a truly joyful time for these two expectant mothers.

Even more special is the reception that Mary receives … You can tell by the scripture that these are two women who obviously are fond of each other.

And the connection between John and Jesus is evident here in this text as well.

After all, John leaps in Elizabeth’s womb when she hears Mary’s greeting. … And Elizabeth can already tell there is something special about Mary’s pregnancy too. Just by the sight of Mary … she is moved to declare:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

In other words … “How blessed are you to be the one carrying our future lord and savior!”

And it is in this moment that Mary is transfixed by the immense weight of her circumstances … and it dawns on her the magnificence of her impending birth … and she responds in resplendent song …

And the Magnificat is born.

Mary sings …

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of this servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call be blessed ...

And she goes on …

Mary shares that she is blessed because of God’s mercy, for the fact that God topples the traditional power structures here on earth, for the fact that he actually feeds those who are hungry … and that he will save Israel as he promised Mary’s ancestors so many generations before.

The Magnificat … Mary’s beautiful psalm that speaks to God’s wonders. … A natural outburst of her joy on display after Elizabeth’s kind blessing of her pregnancy.

But as I lingered on Mary’s words this week, I began to wonder what this profession of faith might look like for each of us … if we were to find ourselves in a similar situation.

Not a situation exactly like Mary’s of course … after all there’s only one holy mother of the Lord Jesus … 

But a similar situation in which another faithful person declared you blessed … like Elizabeth does to Mary.

Think about that: What if someone declared you blessed? … Would you also respond in a manner such as Mary? … Full of gratitude and wonder at all the Lord has done and provided for you?

Facing the trials of everyday life, I think it’s easy to forget that we too are blessed. … In both big and small ways. But until we’re asked to think about God’s graces in our own lives … we often just take them for granted.

And so I wonder this morning … Faith Family, what would your Magnificat sound like?

If another believer declared you blessed in the way Elizabeth does Mary … what would your Magnificat sound like?

Well, my own song of praise would start off with gratitude for my family, of course.

After all, when you go through a difficult divorce, you can wonder if things will ever be good again.

Then I found out that God makes wondrous things out of broken circumstances. And thus I now have a beautiful and growing family that includes Shelley and our two girls. 

My song of praise also would include God’s love and tenderness in times of sorrow, as there seems to have been far too many in our family in recent years.

Each loss has been difficult … but in each and every one God has stood there with us too. And I’ve felt God's love through it all.

My song of praise would include all of you … and this church … and this wonderful journey we’ve been on together these past seven years.

I always feel bad when I’m talking with fellow pastors who are growing weary of their calls. … Because with each passing year, I just feel more and more at home here. … And I don’t want to take that for granted.

And my song of praise would include so much more. … Just like Mary’s does too. … Because sometimes as faithful people … maybe we just need a kind blessing from another believer to remind us that … in the end we have plenty to be grateful for.

To remind us that our God is amazing in his bounty. … To remind us not to be complacent in our faith. … To remind us that we need to sing out to the Lord more often than just at Christmastime. 

Faith Family …Mary sings from the heart in genuine gratitude … “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of this servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call be blessed ….

So how about you Faith Family? … What would your Magnificat sound like? … What would you be grateful for?

And that is the Good News for this Sunday, the Fourth Sunday in Advent, Dec. 22, 2024. … Amen.